(CNN) - Health care reform was "a long overdue victory for America's consumers and patients" and Americans are "already seeing a wave of change," President Barack Obama said Tuesday as he touted the success of his signature domestic policy initiative.

But health insurers must not use health care reform as an excuse to raise rates, and the government will make sure they don't, Obama said.

He was speaking 90 days after the passage of the Affordable Care Act and patients' bill of rights.

The departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury issued new regulations Tuesday "that will put an end to some of the worst practices in the insurance industry," Obama said.
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soundoff(41 Responses)

deb0155

What success? It will take another 4 years before it really starts. What the big success will be is higher taxes for everyone!

June 22, 2010 03:03 pm at 3:03 pm |

Ron

Let me see if I get this straight – The Obama administration passes a law that will SIGNIFICANTLY increase the costs of health care but tells the health insurers they should not increase their rates? What kind of idiot do we have running this country. OF COURSE they have to raise their rates which, for you kool-aid drinkers, is the intended consequence desired by this administration. Once the costs skyrocket then Obama can come back and use as an excuse to nationalize health care. Once that is done you have lost ALL your freedoms in regards to what doctor you want, how quickly you will be seen, etc. WAKE UP!! This is a MESS that our country can never recover from. It needs to be repealed before it gets started!! Once it starts it will follow the path of demise just like Social Security, Medicare, etc.

June 22, 2010 03:03 pm at 3:03 pm |

JP

Obama's bill is not reform its a new entitlement. Reform would have things like tort reform and fraud reform. Tort reform designed to reduce defensive medicine could save 100 billion a year. Obama said, "defensive medicine that maybe contributing to unnecessary costs" there is no maybe YOU LIE. So why does Obama lie about this because, the trial lawyer campaign contributions he gets is more important than my tax dollars.

June 22, 2010 03:10 pm at 3:10 pm |

Anonymous

Obama must put back the half a trillion dollar back to medicare.He is getting this half a trillion dollar from medicare to insure the young.

June 22, 2010 03:12 pm at 3:12 pm |

New Age Independant

I hope this isn't the same kind of success that the stimulus plan had! Not to worry, I'm sure Obama will get "Angry" when the polls indicate that people are losing more money for health care then ever before. So damn predictable.

June 22, 2010 03:13 pm at 3:13 pm |

felicia

Well tout on Mr. President, President Obama is doing good works for this country. And for you selfish people who keeps trying to knock him down is only gonna make him stronger. All you self righteous idiots are nothing more than a bunch of morons.

June 22, 2010 03:19 pm at 3:19 pm |

"Progressives" are anything but.

Just more lies, exaggerations, and outright fantasies this administration is trying to pull over on an increasingly wised-up and fed-up public. Obama and the rest of his fantasy-world progressive idiots who tricked the public into voting for the hopenchange pie-in-the-sky mirage in 2008, will get the heave-ho come 2012. Good riddance for the sake of our nation.

June 22, 2010 03:20 pm at 3:20 pm |

Candide

Yes, I'm seeing a wave of change all right. We had to change insurance because the costs were jacked up to an impossible level. Problem is, the new company is equally unaffordable, due to ridiculously high co-pays. Prescription plan lacks many common medications and is inflexible, arbitrary and costlier. I'm worse off now than I was last year.

June 22, 2010 03:21 pm at 3:21 pm |

Bobby

Thank you ,Thank you, Thank you mr. President, for the first time in six years, I just got a new health care insurance through my employer. He can now afford it, and I can afford it afford it.
I have nothing else to say.

June 22, 2010 03:22 pm at 3:22 pm |

Alex

How are Americans seeing a change in their health care, when the bill doesn't even kick in till 2013?!?!

The bill, just like Obama, is a right-wing fraud!

June 22, 2010 03:27 pm at 3:27 pm |

seebofubar

Obama, nobody buys your crap anymore except for democrats with their hand out and their eyes closed. What fools you all were electing this moron.

June 22, 2010 03:28 pm at 3:28 pm |

Boudreaux

What a joke this guy is still selling this trash...

June 22, 2010 03:31 pm at 3:31 pm |

Michael

Any health care reform will be an improvement – it can hardly get any worse – but this is not enough, and not soon enough.
Nowhere else in the civilized world must middle-class professionals give up a third of their salaries for the right to receive medical treatment. In any other halfway decent country, the idea of corporate profit margins determining public access to health services is seen as a violation of basic human rights.
The purpose of health care is to relieve suffering, not to enrich investors.

June 22, 2010 03:36 pm at 3:36 pm |

Ancient Texan

Still selling his snake oil healthcare? This was and is a total disaster that will result in long waits for care, higher healthcare costs, and bankruptcy for the nation. Doctors are quitting the profession, some are retireing and others are dropping medicare patients because of the 21 1/2% cut in payments. Seniors that have been forced to pay into medicare for most of their working years, are having their care put in jeopardy to foot the bill for people that didn't have healthcare. In some cases because they felt they didn't need it, others because they knew emergency rooms could not turn them away, and others that admittedly couldn't get it. Now even more won't be able to get decent care. Seniors will remember in November.

June 22, 2010 03:40 pm at 3:40 pm |

Bob from MD

What a joke! This whole health care fiasco would be funny if it wasn't so harmful to the country. Obama and the Dems forced a bill that the American people didn't want. It does little to lower costs and they're actually rising. This will lead to poor health care, unqualified doctors, rationing, and more debt for our children and grandchildren.

This is just another Dem entitlement program by taking from the successful and giving to the poor. The Dems like to keep people dependent on the government!

June 22, 2010 03:45 pm at 3:45 pm |

Claudia, Houston, Tx

President Obama may not be a two term president but this country can't keep turning the clock back because time is running out.